Classic Osso Buco

From being a regional dish from Piedmont in Italy, osso buco has caught the imagination worldwide. Thick slices from the veal shank with its central marrow bone are key to osso buco, so that the meat remains moist and becomes tender enough to fall from the bone. When the dish is cooked ahead, the flavor will deepen and mellow. As for the curious gremolata flavoring of garlic, parsley, and lemon, I myself like to add a generous sprinkling to my veal at the table, although purists use only just enough for a delicate nuance. Risotto milanese, flavored with veal stock and saffron is the classic accompaniment.

Wine for Cooking Gavi di Gavi (sometimes labeled as cortese di Gavi) is Piedmont's best-known white wine. Gavi is no longer inexpensive, however, and oyu might do just as well with an Italian chardonnay, which is rapidly supplanting cortese as the most widely planted white grape in Piedmont.

Wine to Drink When osso buco reaches the table, an authoritative red from Piedmont is in order — a mature barolo or barbaresco, whose bouquet and will match the complexity of this Italian classic.

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (176°F/Gas 4). Put the flour on a plate, add generous amounts of salt and pepper, and coat the veal slices, with flour, patting to remove the excess. Heat the oil and butter in a sauté pan or frying pan big enough for all the veal slices to touch the bottom. Add half the slices and brown them over quite high heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn them, brown the other side and remove them to a plate. Brown the remaining slices and remove them also.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and carrot and sauté until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in the wine and boil until reduced by half, stirring to dissolve the pan juices. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, orange zest, veal stock, salt, and pepper. Immerse the veal slices in this sauce — the liquid should come at least halfway up the sides. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil.

3. Braise the shanks in the oven until the meat is very tender and falling from the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir from time to time, gently turning the slices, and if the pan seems dry, add more stock. At the end of cooking, taste and adjust seasoning of the sauce. Osso buco can be cooked ahead and stored up to 3 days in the refrigerator, or frozen. Keep it in the pan ready to be reheated on top of the stove.

4. For the gremolata, chop the garlic; pull parsley leaves from the stems, and chop the leaves together with the garlic. Stir in the grated lemon zest and pile the gremolata in a bowl. It can be served separately from the osso buco, for guests to help themselves, or sprinkled on the dish just before it goes to the table.

Recipes are reprinted from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. In association with COPIA, The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts.

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Reviews

I have made this recipe several times. I usually double it for eight people, so there is ample sauce. . Per other suggestions, I do not double the orange zest. I use veal stock, and 2 tablespoons of rich veal Demi glacé. After the meat has cooked,(which I do on the stove top), I strain out all of the vegetables. Then, I reduce the sauce and thicken it with a bit of flour. It's generally stupendous.

I have been making this recipe since 2003 and it is awesome! As others suggested I do use a little more carrot and only 1 orange for 4 veal shanks. A good butcher will have more uniform shanks. Add a tablespoon of veal demi glace from Williams Sonoma for richness and cut back on the salt. Some of my friends like the gremolata, but I personally can do without it. Great with all kinds of sides, fettucine, rissoto, orzo, or this last time I made potato and celery gratin! You can definetely reduce the sauce on top of the stove to make room in your oven for the gratin. (and yes tie the shanks for a better presentation)

With or without the
Gremolata, it's a
deeply flavorful
Osso Buco. Will
definitely make it
again, next time
using smaller rounds
of the veal. The
large pieces I used
took much longer to
cook and I think the
smaller ones are
more juicy, though an advantage
of the larger pieces
seems to be less
fat.
The dish is much
better the second or
third
day after it's made.

I have always wanted to make this dish at home, having enjoyed it in restaurants for years. I followed the recipe for the most part, having to make a few substitutions due to limitations of my pantry: used mandarin orange, a dry champagne and mixed stock instead of what was called for. I also added more carrots. This easy recipe combined flavors I would never have put together on my own, and I loved it!

This is a great recipe for Osso
Buco. I didn't include the tomatoes
or the Gremolata, I substituted
vegetable stock for the veal stock
and cooked it on the stovetop for
almost 3 hours instead of in the
oven. I used to make Osso Buco in
tomato sauce but will make it this
way from now on - the sauce is
lighter and aromatic. I serve it
with french fries and salad and my 4
year old and 6 year old sons ask for
seconds.

Awesome and super easy to make. I love the
addition of the orange but one was plenty. I kept
the zest in large pieces so it was easy to remove at
the end. Also, I thought it was better without the
gremolata. Served with mashed potatoes and a field
green salad. Yum!

Been using
Epicurious for
years. Have never
before entered a
review but must
here. This is truly
an exceptional dish.
Many tweaks no doubt
possible to
accommodate what is
on hand (I used
grass fed beef
shanks and beef
stock), but the
orange and gremolata
are essential. Cut
back on the zest
(max of one orange)
if you are wary of
strong orange note -
but the citrus hints
coupled with the
bite of raw garlic
give the dish bright
and memorable
flavors that are
quite special.
Serve it
over/alongside an
unadorned risotto
with the same crisp
white you used in
the dish - I used a
graue burgunder.

This recipe failes to tell you that you must buy deep cut veal..you also must tie up the shanks with cotton cord; otherwise it will fall apart as it cooks... I also would never use the oranges required for this is not the classic version.. serve this with rissotto of some type. There are many wonderful ones out there..
My original recipe for this came from a cook book of 20 yrs ago..The book was from a couple from Cape Cod.. I wish I could find that receipe again, since it had 2 versions...one with tomato and one without, which they called the White Osso Buco...

This is the best Osso Buco recipe and was the first one I made. Since I have altered it slightly by adding extra root vegetables and using lean veal stew meat to reduce on the fat and connective tissue. Classic risotto goes perfectly with classic osso buco and definately try the gremalata.

I have made this recipe many times to rave reviews..love the gremalata too. I plan to use stewing beef and make a beef stew out of the ingredients. I imagine it may be a bit like a beef daube which also often uses the orange zest.

Wonderful recipe! This had so much flavor and was beautifully rich. I used whole baby carrots instead of chopped, and had to use chicken broth instead of veal stock since I can't seem to find it anywhere. I look forward to making this again and again.

This was fabulous!
I had to change a
few parts of the
recipe because I
just used what I had
on hand. Fresh roma
tomatoes instead of
canned, marsala
instead of dry white
wine, one orange
instead of two, beef
instead of veal
broth, and I had it
in the oven for
about 2 hours. I
used a smaller piece
of meat than the
recipe called for,
and still 2 hours
was about right. I
cut back on the
amount of broth
since I figured the
braising would
create a little
liquid on it's own.
I
served it with
spaghetti on the
side. The gremolata
added a nice
freshness at the
table. Loved it.

I will be the dissenting voice, found this recipe bland. I think you must drain the tomatoes before adding them, I felt that the liquid took away the flavor. Although the gramulata might add flavour, it was unappealing in its presentation, maybe a salsa style would be better? For a dish this expensive, I wouldn't make it again as is.

Four forks: Exceptional! I've made this twice now to rave reviews from visiting friends. Once with risotto and once over angel hair spaghetti. Not traditional, but suits the dish nicely. I agree the gremolata is a bit much. I cut back on the orange zest too, and sprinkle sparingly.

I made this recipe exactly as written except using only 1
orange, and there was still way too much orange taste. If you are wary of orange, or too-fruity-meat, try another recipe, there are so many better ones. We used fantastic meat, so the
recipe turned out okay, but we had to
keep telling ourselves
to ignore the orange
taste. Try a different recipe, or leave out the orange!!

I followed the recipe
exactly, except that I
cooked for about 2.5
hours in the oven.
Absolutely perfect
osso bucco! I served
with orzo and
butternut squash and
sage recipe also found
on this site.
Heavenly . . .

I thought this recipe was very good but without the gremolata it just tastes like a very good veal stew. The gremolata makes this distinctive and if you make this dish don't leave it out. I only used the zest from 1 orange because I feared that it would taste a little too orangy. I cooked it a day ahead of my dinner party and rewarmed it. I served this with the butternut squash polenta also from this site. This is definitely a "ta-daa!" kind of meal as the veal was very expensive. It was a hit with my friends though.

Great recipe that I make every time I'm home in the US. Has anyone tried substituting oxtail for veal shanks? Veal is not available here in China, but oxtail is easy enough to find. Also hard to find are ovens! I am going to try to make this stovetop with a tightly sealed dutch oven and low heat. Wish me luck.

This was so much easier to prepare than I expected. I must admit the cost of four lbs of veal shank was a little shocking but in the end, I halved it and saved the still-frozen other half and had plenty for our birthday dinner. Took other reviewers' suggestion and served it w/Risotto Milanese also from this site. Excellent.